Certain bakery food products are often prepared with liners, which separate the dough or batter from the material of the baking tin or tray when the container is subjected to heat, such as within an oven, for baking.
A typical liner is a thin, sheet-like material that is either sold in the shape of the baking tin or tray, or is sold in sheets that can be shaped by the baker.
Cupcakes are one example of a confection that is often prepared with a liner. Cupcake liners are sold in a variety of paper-like materials, often in a cup shape of the same size as a conventional cupcake tin. A “batch” of cupcakes can be made by placing cupcake liners in each of the cup-shaped depressions found in a cupcake tin, then filling each liner with cake batter. After baking, each cupcake is easily removed from its depression in the tin with the cupcake liner adhering to the lower part of the confection. The cupcake can be transported intact and held cleanly by the liner. As the cupcake is consumed, the liner is peeled away and discarded.
While conventional cupcake liners are convenient for preparing and transporting cupcakes, they are inconvenient during cupcake consumption. The peeling process requires two hands and can produce crumbs and cupcake fragments. The liner itself usually contains such fragments and must be carefully handled by the fastidious consumer until it can be thrown away, generating waste.
To overcome these problems, edible paper made from rice starch has been suggested as a makeshift cupcake liner. However, rice paper becomes crispy and unappetizing when baked in this way, is vulnerable to moisture, and can very easily break apart, making it an unsatisfying substitute for conventional inedible liners.
A need therefore exists for a liner that does not have to be removed from baked goods prior to consumption, that adequately replaces conventional paper for use in the preparation and transportation of baked goods, and that provides a pleasant texture when consumed as part of a baked good.